Koreans not fretting over absence of Jae-sung

SOUTH KOREA may be without stocky doubles shuttler Jung Jaesung but they are not fretting at all.

“Our focus is the Olympic Games and we are here for the Thomas Cup Finals to get a good warm-up ahead of our London trip.

“It is unfortunate that Jae-sung is down with a back injury ... it is not a big deal,” said assistant team manager Greg Kim Hong-ki.

Hong-ki said they still have five good doubles players – Lee Yongdae, Ko Sung-hyun-yoo Yeonseong and Kim Sa-rang-kim Kijung.

“We still hold an advantage because now our opponents do not know who we will field as our first and second doubles. It’s good to have the surprise element in the competition,” he said.

“Our third pair – the Kims – are in their early 20s but they have the potential to be a strong pair. We are quite comfortable with our players and want to see how far we can go in the Finals this time.” South Korea have made it to the final only once, losing 2-1 to China at the 2008 edition in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, South Korea did not withdraw Jae-sung’s name during the team managers’ meeting yesterday, sparking speculation that he may be flown in if South Korea go further in the tournament.